# Dishwashers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2000, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999 "2000-03-20T23:15:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2000, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/1 "2000-03-20T23:15:00Z")
Okay, this may not be the question for the ages, but it’s been bugging me for years. Because of career path and financial constraints, I have rented many living quarters: houses, apartments, and mobile homes. In most of these, I have had an automatic dishwasher. Some of them have been brand new, some worn to falling apart. Some were high-end, expensive models, and some were cheap-o models. Here is my question (please don’t laugh): No matter what kind of dishwasher we have, the plastic items never dry during the dry cycle. Why? All the glass and ceramic items dry, but never the plastic. Now, I’m not talking about if the plastic has a complicated texture resulting in puddles. I mean even smooth plastic. It always comes out wet while everything around it is dry. At first, I figured it was cheap dishwashers. But I have noticed that it doesn’t matter what kind of machine it is, the plastic is always wet. Okay, I told you it wasn’t one of life’s most fundamental questions, but it’s been keeping me awake at night. Any dishwasher engineers out there? Help me get a good night’s sleep. Or better yet, help me get the dishes dry! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_G7subs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Rich\_G7subs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_G7subs)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2000, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/2 "2000-03-20T23:23:00Z")
I’ve seen the same thing…I attribute it to the drying cycle.Mine has two settings…air dry and auto dry…the auto dry cycle uses a heating element to dry the dishes.I think that the glass and ceramic stuff heats up and retains the heat longer after the element turns off.Since they are more dense than the plastic they would cool off more slowly allowing more time for the water accumulated on them to evaporate. * * * Rich “G7SUBS” ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/3 "2000-03-21T00:50:00Z")
WAG The dishes are washed/rinsed in hot water and so heat up. The drying cycle lets the heat in the dishes evaporate the water. Your plastics have low heat capacity so they have little stored heat, so only a little water evaporates. ---
**Author:** ![galen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecc23a/32.png) [@galen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/4 "2000-03-21T03:34:00Z")
After we run our dishwasher, we “tip the glasses” which means to tilt all the cups and glasses to drain the water which pools on the upturned bottoms. I also pick up any plastic items and give them a shake so they will dry properly as they don’t retain much heat, as others have pointed out ---
**Author:** ![quadell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/b9bd4f/32.png) [@quadell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quadell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/5 "2000-03-21T04:03:00Z")
Would you believe [Sears.com](http://Sears.com) has a dishwasher FAQ? (So does GE, but it’s not as useful.) They’re not very verbose, but here’s their answer: > [@](#): > > Q. Why aren’t my dishes completely dry > when I take them out of the dishwasher? > A. First, make sure the “heat” option is > on and make sure the water temperature is > between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. > You may want to consider using a rinse > drying agent to improve drying, just be > sure to keep the dispenser full. Keep in > mind that plastic items do not hold heat > well and the extent of dryness will depend > on the type of material the container or > dish is made of. Kinda begs the question, I know, but at least Sears is aware of the problem. 🙂 Your Quadell ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/6 "2000-03-21T06:15:00Z")
My goodness! I sure do love the SDMB. I have been wondering about this very thing! -Bean, who is not being sarcastic (for once). ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/7 "2000-03-21T22:20:00Z")
Thank you all so much for your help. Density and heat capacity – it all seems so obvious to me now. I look at my dishwasher in a whole new light. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2000, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/8 "2000-03-22T00:04:00Z")
The density is irrelevant- it is just the heat capacity of the material, and the surface-area to mass ratio. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![Bluepony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Bluepony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluepony)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2000, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/9 "2000-03-22T04:28:00Z")
In my single days, I found out that if you have no silverware for the basket, then you can wash about 2 pairs of socks along with the dishes. Saves money because you wouldn’t run your washer for a few pairs of socks, but you can always run a full load of dishes and glasses. I bet Martha Stewart never thought of this. * * * _…send lawyers, guns, and money…_ ``` Warren Zevon ``` ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2000, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/10 "2000-03-22T06:56:00Z")
Washing socks with your dishes? YUCK! besides the dish detergent is probably so strong your socks will not last long Being single I have found I am better off doing the dishes by hand and I also often have the problem of having to wash clothes in loads that are too small for the washer. Sometimes I just do a few items by hand ---
**Author:** ![Toymaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc8723/32.png) [@Toymaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toymaker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2000, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/11 "2000-03-22T12:17:00Z")
[In my single days, I found out that if you have no silverware for the basket, then you can wash about 2 pairs of socks along with the dishes…] Bluepony ## Hey, you’re supposed to use your Ronco vegetable dryer for that (no kidding, they actually showed this in the commercial!). Gary “Master of the uncalled for.” Homepage: [Gary’s Place](http://members.aol.com/Toymkr47/Index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Doctordec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Doctordec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctordec)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2000, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/8999/12 "2000-03-22T16:24:00Z")
If you open the door of the dishwasher after it’s done and leave it open overnight, the plastic items will dry with no additional work on your part. Make sure the cat doesn’t crawl in, though. * * * “Everybody smokes in hell”